Congressman
Ellison is a Model for Muslims
Last spring King Abdullah
II of Jordan concluded his speech to the
joint session of the US Congress with the
familiar salutation, “Assalamu-alaikum!”
Immediately, in response a booming voice
rang out from the center of the chamber
with a loud “Walaikum-Assalam.”
Everyone present was stunned.
For a long moment there was a hushed silence.
No doubt, some wondered whether this was
an exchange of some secret message right
in their midst. By then many heads had turned
around and recognized the new face. It was
none other than the first-term Congressman
Keith Ellison, (D-MN), the newly elected
representative from the fifth district of
Minnesota.
In a press interview afterwards Ellison
mentioned that he responded instinctively,
without mulling it over in his head. His
Muslim background had prepared him to return
the greeting of peace with a proper salutation.
This was the first time in the history of
the Congress that such an exchange had taken
place right on the floor of that august
legislative body. Of course, no Muslim had
ever been elected to the Congress until
the last mid-term elections.
Congressman Ellison’s presence in
Washington has provided a lot of mileage
to the Muslim community. He has become well
known to the Muslims around the world. Just
about every Muslim leader, politician and
the local notable want to meet him personally.
It is not unusual for Muslim leaders visiting
Washington to seek him out and even invite
him to their countries.
When he was elected he became an immediate
target of the mass media. During the first
few months he was subjected to considerable
hostility and was taken to task for being
a Muslim. It was incredible for many to
believe that a Muslim could be elected to
the US Congress given the political climate
that prevailed in the country.
He has of course handled all the negative
reactions remarkably well. It is not unusual
for Congressmen to remain in Washington
without ever becoming known. That has not
been the case with Ellison. In fact he received
attention even before he was elected to
his position. Unlike most others he continues
to receive worldwide attention with request
for interviews and guest appearances. Thanks
to Al-Jazeera Congressman Ellison has come
to be seen throughout the Middle East as
a champion for human rights, pluralism and
democracy.
Just having one Congressman has made a tremendous
difference for the Muslims of America. It
took only one individual with an Islamic
greeting to bring the Congress to rapt attention,
indeed, to a deafening silence. At that
pivotal moment one could have heard a pin
drop in the cavernous chamber.
If one Congressman can make such an impact
within a matter of months then several would
be immensely beneficial to the community.
Muslims need to get busy, to get involved
in the political process and to work for
the election of others to elective bodies
either at the national, state or local levels.
The task is urgent and has to be undertaken
by Muslims both individually and collectively.
The community has to be mobilized. Before
his election to the Congress Ellison served
in the Minnesota House of Representatives
for two terms. Prior to that he was active
in various civic, community and volunteer
organizations. That is how he acquired the
skills for the elective positions that he
attained.
Muslims have to become activists in civic
and community affairs. Some are already
involved in interfaith dialogue. That is
a step in the right direction. The larger
society awaits their contributions long
overdue.
When Congressman Ellison was disparaged,
both on the CNN by Glenn Beck and in the
Congress by Representative Virgil Goode
(R-VA), he did not back away. He responded
to hate with love. He welcomed the Qur’an
controversy and obtained the copy kept by
Thomas Jefferson for his swearing-in ceremony.
That was an eye opener to many of his colleagues.
Thus, he was able to defuse that issue in
a positive way.
At the moment there is a lot of interest
in diversity training. Muslims ought to
get involved in such efforts. They are natural
for projects of this type. Recently, Muslims
in Oklahoma participated in one such endeavor
and gave out copies of the Qur’an
to the state legislators. In my own area,
one Muslim activist, Ikram ul Huq, was given
recognition by the city of Bloomington,
MN, for his volunteer services to interfaith
dialogue.
Sitting around complaining about discrimination,
hate and Islamophobia is not going to produce
any results. Action needs to be taken. Congressman
Keith Ellison and his small group of Muslim
supporters have shown the way. You too can
join their efforts to improve the condition
of the Muslims in America, and to work for
the betterment of the nation.
